Joshi demands UPA apologise to Jaitley for tapping phone

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Last Updated: Sat, Feb 16, 2013 18:00 hrs

Kolkata, Feb 16 (IANS) Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi Saturday demanded that the United Progressive Alliance government apologise to his party colleague Arun Jaitley for tapping his phone and take strong action against officials involved in the matter.

Asking the government to spell out the reasons for tapping Jaitley's phone, Joshi said: "The phone of an individual can't be tapped without any reason. If it has been done, then I will demand that the government give out the reasons."

"The government should take stern action against the officials who have done it. The government should apologise to Arun Jaitley for tapping his phone," he said.

Jaitley's call records were allegedly accessed by Arvind Dabas, a 32-year-old Delhi Police constable, to check his communication with a party Uttarakhand leader who had assured him, through Jaitley, to settle his (Dabas') property deal in the hill state.

Joshi also demanded a roll back of the latest hike in petrol and diesel prices, saying it was done only to reduce the fiscal deficit artificially.

On the recent violence in Kolkata, where a police officer was shot dead in broad daylight, Joshi reminded the Trinamool Congress government of Mamata Banerjee that its predecessor Left Front was voted out for such happenings. "The incumbent regime should learn lessons from that," he said.

Joshi appealed to the trade unions who have called a 48-hour general strike Feb 20-21 to reconsider whether they would go for the agitation spread over two days, but said their was merit in their demands.